It's Not the Sea that Divides Us
by Glorytommy
Summary: AU. Princess Hinata Hyuga finds that one minute she is safely on a naval ship to Suna, where she is to meet her fiance for the first time, and the next minute she is keeping company with pirates! Meanwhile, her escort and bodyguard Sasuke Uchiha is taken along for the ride, and must struggle with the hatred his harbors for all that is a pirate. Eventual NaruHina and SasuSaku.
1. Chapter One - It Started with Weevils

**A/N:** This is a story inspired by the song: I am a Pirate, You are a Princess by Play Radio Play. It's an adorable song, I recommend it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Sadly.

* * *

**It's Not the Sea that Divides Us**

**Chapter One – **_It Started with Weevils_

The _S.S. __Shiroi Kiba_ made steady course on its journey to Wind Country. A two days trip and they would make port, something that served as a comfort to her captain, who stood on deck, staring out at the waves through his one good eye.

They were only going into their second day at sea, but there were passengers on board that were not used to this kind of travel and he knew they wanted off as soon as possible. Life on the open waves wasn't fit for everyone, especially the company he was keeping at the moment.

Currently, it was his job to transport a royal, a noble escort, and a bunch of palace guards to their destination, and so far, a few of the land lovers had already gotten sea sick. He knew it wouldn't be long before the complaining would start.

"Ano… Do you mind if I join you, captain?" a small, humbled voice questioned.

The man turned, eye crinkling as he smiled behind an abnormally long turtle neck that covered the complete lower portion of his face. With a light chuckle, he peered down at the young woman standing behind him, long ebony hair framing her face in curls. "Aha. Ojou-sama… Have you come out for some fresh air?"

"Yes… I suppose so," she nodded, mirroring his hidden smile with a small one of her own. Her dainty hands gripped at the layers on the front of her dress and she broke eye contact to stare out at the waves before them. "It's the first time I've ever ridden in a boat for more than a few hours, father has never let me leave the country before," she smiled at the water. "It's very exciting. I've always loved the ocean."

The captain nodded in agreement. "The love of the sea seems to be something that we both have in common," he commented and his gaze seemed to drift past the view, as if he was caught in some kind of memory.

It was at times like this that the captain looked much older than he ought to. It was as if he had seen and gone through too much for someone so young. He was in his early to mid-thirties and yet his hair had already greyed so much that it was the color white. Rumors onboard were that whatever hardships he had faced had aged his mind, making him wiser, and that the white hair was proof of that.

"…How long… before we reach land?" the young lady questioned, seeming to be in a bit of a daze of her own.

"Two days' time," was his answer.

The princess repeated this so lightly that it was barely heard over the commotion of working hands on deck. The troubled way that she spoke these words caused the captain to glance at her thoughtfully. She looked to the waves in deep thought, brows scrunched over her pearl eyes in concentration. It was such a shame to see such an expression on a young lady's face, even more so when he knew that it was not an expression that often graced the princess' face.

"Is there something the matter, Ojou-sama?" he questioned, though he already had an idea of what was on her mind.

"Ah…" the young lady snapped from her thoughts and cast him a weary smile, "No. I'm… merely thinking… about the man I am to m-marry," she confessed, face slightly flushing at the thought.

"I see," he chuckled, "So it is the case of the nerves then."

She nodded, "Something like that."

The two shared kind smiles.

"Captain!" a male called, urgency evident in the voice. "Captain Hatake!"

Both the captain and the young lady turned around to see Lieutenant Yamato marching up to them in a half run. From his expression it was easy to tell that there was something evidently wrong.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" the captain asked, stance instantly tensing in wait for the news.

Yamato held out a telescope for him to take, "Take a look westward. 500 yards."

Hatake instantly took it, not wasting any time with pointless hesitation. Using his one good eye, he glanced into the contraption and turned westward. A ship caught his sight, coming up fast and straight in their direction. He was about to ask what his lieutenant thought they wanted when the Jolly Rodger caught his eye. His lips pressed into a thin line, "Pirates."

The phrase earned him a sharp gasp from the princess beside him and his lieutenant nodded solemnly, "Captain, what should we do? It's coming up too fast, even if we manage to turn around, we'll never outrun it."

"Then we have no choice but to fight," Captain Hatake answered simply and both seamen cast a wary glance to the princess. Normally, they wouldn't have even considered running away, it was their job to keep pirates off the seas, but they had precious cargo. They had to be careful.

xXx

Sasuke Uchiha glared at the cards in his hand as he vaguely listened to the chatter of the seamen around him. He'd been pulled into a game against his wishes and though he wasn't one to give in to trivial things, he was representing the royal family and therefore had to 'behave'—as his mother had put it.

"I hear that it gets pretty hot in Suna and that most of it is sand."

"Yeah, and apparently, the people of Wind country aren't all that pleasant…"

"You believe that rumor?"

"Well, I don't have much to go on. I've never been."

"Oh that's right, you're a bit new."

The Uchiha mentally snorted. He didn't really care what the people were like. He just wanted this all to be over with so that he could go back home and deal with what needed to be dealt with there.

The only reason he had come on this trip was because the King's nephew had asked him for the favor. The two had never been friends or the like, but the thought of someone with such a status owing him a favor was too hard to pass up. This was all for strategy.

"Three aces," he said, cutting through the conversation, as he placed down three cards into the designated pile.

"Bullshit."

Sasuke smirked and turned the cards over to reveal all aces. The accuser cursed as the pile of cards was added to his ever growing hand.

"You have one hell of a poker face, boy," the man grumbled downing a shot as penalty.

One of the other men at the table laughed, "He's an Uchiha, what do you expect?"

"My bloodline has nothing to do with it," the young man grunted, staring at the few cards left in his hand.

"All hands on deck!" a young sailor shouted, running into the room. "We've got pirates, coming in fast!"

This broke the merry vibe of the group and everyone was soon on their feet and rushing to their positions.

Sasuke scowled instantly and was up, grabbing the young sailor by the arm, "Pirates? Which ones?"

The lad, probably a few years younger than himself, stammered incoherently in shock from the death glare he was sent.

Sasuke shook him, speaking clearer this time but with no less malice, "_Which ones_?"

The young sailor looked about to pee himself, "I don't know!"

The Uchiha sucked his teeth, finding his time wasted. His grip on the teen loosened and the boy moved to leave, but Sasuke grabbed him again in realization. "Where is Ojou-sama?"

"S-She was sent to h-her chambers as soon as the pirates were sighted!" the boy flinched.

With a nod, Sasuke finally let him go and watched him scamper out of the room, seemingly happy to get away.

Clenching his fists, the Uchiha left the wardroom and walked at a quick pace toward the princess' chambers. Part of him wanted to get up to the deck and get a good look at the oncoming ship. There was a chance that a certain person could be on it and he needed to know. However, his job was to be both an escort and a bodyguard and so the princess was his top priority. She was his responsibly.

Even if babysitting duty wasn't really his thing.

Dodging the men that rushed passed, Sasuke finally made it to his destination. "Hinata-sama," he called, delivering three swift knocks to the wooden door.

From inside, there was a light click before the door swung open to reveal a paler than usual princess. She exhaled, obviously relieved to see him, "Sasuke-san..." She moved out the way to let him inside and he shut the door behind them both, locking it.

"Sit over there and keep away from the door," the Uchiha ordered, motioning for the girl to take a seat in front of a newly crafted writing desk.

She complied quietly and Sasuke took his place by the door, listening to the shouting of men as they prepared for battle.

"Do you think p-pirates are as ruthless as t-they say?" the princess asked, breaking their momentary silence.

The young male's jaw tightened at the mention of the sea vermin, "They aren't worthy enough to form an opinion of," he growled a little too harshly.

Though the malice wasn't aimed toward the princess, it frightened her to see such hatred in a person.

xXx

"Weevils. Always weevils," Shikamaru sighed, leaning on the edge of the ship, eyeing the Konoha Naval Ship turning course. "What a drag…" he muttered dejectedly, and turned around to report his observation.

"Cap'n!" he called, not feeling the motivation to walk the minimal about of steps it would take to reach his superior, "They've turned course, the ship's coming straight for us!"

"Really?!" came the excited call from a blond young male hanging from one of the netted ropes. Climbing down, he rushed over to the lazy man's side and took a look for himself. A grin stretched across his whiskered cheeks, "You were right! They've got no choice but to take us head on!"

"Of course," Shikamaru nodded, casting him a bored glance, "but is that really something to be happy about? It's a _Konoha_ _Naval_ _Ship_. They'll be looking for a fight."

"Then a fight is what we'll give them!" he said simply, "We need those supplies."

He was right, of course, they did need them. However, Shikamaru still wasn't really feeling up to having this battle. Then again, when was he ever up to doing anything?

While the lazy man was preoccupied with his thoughts, the young captain turned his attention to his crew. "Look alive! They're bring the fight to us!"

He was met with equal enthusiasm and received quite a few shouts of: "Aye, aye Cap'n!"

Satisfied, his grin widened. It been a while since they'd had a good fight. Even longer since they'd had a run in with a ship from Konoha. He had been getting restless and his hands itched for a good fight. Who would have thought that it'd take an infestation of weevils to give them such an opportunity?

Clamping a hand down on his hat he cupped his other hand and shouted, "Oi, Anyone seen Haruno?!"

To which someone called back, "She's up there Cap'n!"

xXx

Captain Hatake's frown deepened from beneath his turtleneck. The opponent ship had been identified. It was none other than the _Yellow Flash_, which explained why it flew across the water at such an abnormal speed. The ship was known to be the fastest vessel to ever sail around the Five Great Nations and was rumored to be enchanted to never sink.

Twenty-two years ago, it vanished from existence and only a year ago it came come back, only this time with a new crew.

Of course, Captain Hatake was never one to believe rumors… but there was usually some truth in them.

So, as the ship neared each other, he couldn't help but be more than a bit cautious. His first priority was to get the princess to Suna safely, but he didn't want to risk the death of his men.

"Captain!" Yamato called, snapping the man from his thoughts. "It looks like their Captain is coming out to talk to you."

Surprised by this comment, Hatake glanced toward the ship and sure enough the man who looked to be the captain was coming up to the front. They were still a good distance away, but they were close enough for him to see just how young this man was. Too young, in his opinion.

Taking a deep breath, he mirrored the pirate captain's actions and headed to the front of his own ship. There he could make out a better description of the young man and was instantly caught off guard. He looked a bit ridiculous with his bright orange vest and trousers. It was covered partly by a black coat and atop his head sat a matching black hat with an orange feather sticking out at an odd angle. With his equally bright blond hair he looked a bit like the sun at night.

"Ahoy there!" the pirate captain grinned, speaking in such a friendly tone that it would have seemed like the to two were friends.

Captain Hatake greeted with a little less enthusiasm and got straight to business, "What is it that you want with my ship, pirate?"

The grinned never left the young man's face, "Aha. Well," he scratched the back of his head a bit bashfully, "we seem to have had a bit of a weevil infestation and are in need of supplies. A donation would be nice… but if not," his eyes flashed mischievously, "we're prepared to plunder."

The naval captain grimaced at the threat. It was against his orders to give away supplies to pirates, to do so would be treachery and could result in imprisonment—or even death. "You know I can't do that. I am part of his majesty's navy and he does not take well to pirates."

"Aha. Yes," the blond nodded thoughtfully and crossed his arms. "Well then, we have a problem, don't we," his grin weakened a bit, "Captain Kakashi Hatake?"

Captain Hatake inclined his head, "So it seems," he paused a moment and then said, "What is your name, pirate?"

The grin came back full blast, "Captain Naruto Uzumaki of the _Yellow Flash_. 'ttebayo!" He then flashed a serious expression, "If we are to engage in battle let's do it right. No cannons. I don't want to sink you _and_ the supplies I want, right? Besides, it would just be an unfair advantage to you with a ship like this…" he smiled with a silent chuckle, "Let's all just fight face to face."

xXx

Hinata flinched as the sounds of battle commenced above. Not being able to take the shouts and clashes of steel, she squeaked and pressed her palms into her ears.

Fighting was something that she didn't believe in. She couldn't understand why blood had to be spilt in order to settle things. Why not use diplomacy instead?

It was then that she reminded herself that these were _pirates_. The most ruthless and blood thirsty people one could ever come across at sea.

Not that she'd met any first hand, but she'd seen the executions and she'd heard the stories.

They were known for plundering ships and villages, killing men, assaulting women, and stealing children to add to their crew. They played with forces that one should let alone and didn't very much care about anyone but themselves.

It was a sad thought that there could be people like that in the world and Hinata only half believed it was true, but if it _was_ true or even partly so, then they were all in danger and that realization scared her.

Mind searching for a different topic, the princess exhaled and turned her pearl eyes on the young man guarding the door. There was an ever present scowl on his face that seemed much deeper and darker than usual. It was obvious that there was something on his mind, and the way that he gripped the sword holstered at his side only added to the evidence.

Hinata already had an idea of what was bothering him. Anytime that the word pirate was mentioned there was a fire that burned in his eyes and a person could almost feel his hatred radiant off him in waves.

It was no secret that Sasuke's older brother ran off with pirates.

It was also commonly known that before doing so, he killed his father and wounded his mother. No one knew what his reason had been, but the Uchihas had always been a strict noble family and it was no secret that his father was not a very pleasant man when it came to weighing his sons with all the pressures of society.

It was the sounds of a struggle that brought Hinata out of her thoughts.

The noises of battle were getting too close for her liking and glancing at her escort, she could tell he was thinking the same thing.

Feeling a sense of fright wash over her, she caught her breath and listened to the grunts and clangs that amplified as time ticked on. It was horrible listening to the cries as sailors—or maybe pirates—fought what would be their last battle. What could have been only minutes seemed to go on for hours and Hinata could almost feel tears gather up in her eyes.

And just when the fight seemed to reach its climax, things went silent. The battle still raged on above, but whatever struggle had taken place behind the door had stopped.

And then the door splintered as something knocked against it.

xXx

"Captain! We can't hold them!"

"Be strong!" Captain Hatake called over the loud chatter and battle cries, his sword coming up to block another attack.

It was true. They couldn't hold the line back for much longer. He had accepted the request for no cannons, seeing as he didn't want a stray one to hit the princess's chambers, but he was starting to regret the decision.

The fight had started in between the ships on wooden planks that'd been slid across. His men had pushed the pirates back onto their own ship, but once the battle drew on, it was pushed onto his own ship and now his men were falling one by one.

"Captain they're heading down into the Galley!"

At this the man mentally cursed. They were getting too close to the princess for his liking. If they found out royalty was on board, there was no doubt that she would be used as ransom. "After them!" he ordered and moved to do the same, but was stopped by a flash of orange.

Moving swiftly, he brought up his sword, blocking an attack from what was always assumed to be his blind spot. His eye met sparkling blue orbs and the pirate captain grinned at him. "I was looking forward to fighting you," he nearly laughed, seeming a bit too excited about the battle around them.

Breaking apart, Hatake scanned the male's stance. For one so young, the pirate seemed very experienced with a sword. It made him wonder what the lad had gone through.

Exhaling, the captain re-gripped the handle of his weapon, "It's not too late to retreat."

The pirate captain snorted, "Not a chance." It didn't take long to realize reason wouldn't work on him. "Are we going to fight or just talk?"

With a nod from Hatake, the blond made the first move.

xXx

Stepping back a few paces, Sasuke drew his sword and watched with hidden surprise as the door's hinges snapped, the whole thing falling to the floor.

In its wake came a lone figure, a pair dual blades in hand. His head was wrapped in a scarf, leaving nothing to identify him by besides the piercing green eyes that instantly locked with the noble's own.

Reacting instantly, Sasuke darted forward and attacked the intruder head on. Metal clashed with metal and he pulled back just in time to miss getting cut in the knee with the pirate's second blade.

"What do we have here…?" The vermin questioned, voice muffled by the cloth tightly wrapped around it. "Judging by the royal guards littering the floor out there one of you must be pretty important…" his eyes shifted from Sasuke to Hinata, "My guess it's the one who looks like she might die of fright."

The princess squeaked at this, hands shaking.

The Uchiha glared, fixing his stance, "Watch it, _pirate_," he sneered with distaste and leapt to attack.

Green eyes shined with adrenaline, and the mysterious figure brought up both swords to defend himself. Sasuke's blade got caught in between them and the man shifted, using a leg to trip the angry noble and use his force against him. The Uchiha fell out of the room, landing less than gracefully on top of an unconscious guard.

This left the pirate in the princess' chambers with a defenseless Hinata, but instead of turning his attention to the girl, his green eyes stayed on Sasuke expectantly.

Growling, the noble was back up on his feet, ignoring the pain that shot up through his leg. Now heated, he struck at the stranger relentlessly, nearly taking off the pirate's head with a wide swing.

No one had matched him so well in a sword fight before, not even the king's nephew. He had prided himself in this fact for years and to now face someone of equal skill-level was both thrilling and enraging at once. He didn't want to believe it.

Every time Sasuke swung, the pirate never failed to defend and use his other sword to send an attack of his own. Those dual swords of his were a real disadvantage to the Uchiha. It was obvious the stranger knew how to use them well and this often put Sasuke on the defense. He was talented—for a pirate.

As another clang of metal filled the room, the two pulled apart, both breathing a bit hard.

"Shall I give you a chance to beg for your life?" the man questioned in an amused manner, to which Sasuke darkened.

"When I'm finished with you, you won't even have such a luxury," he bit back. He didn't like being underestimated.

The pirate chuckled, sounding unusually light and airy. "Your rage will be your downfall," he commented. Whether it was a warning, or just an observation, it was hard to tell.

"And _I_ will be yours," Sasuke growled and, impatient to get the fight over with, he launched himself at the enemy without warning, sword aiming straight for the man's heart.

Though the pirate was caught slightly off guard, it was the Uchiha's loss. Sasuke had underestimated his opponent.

With one quick motion, the man discarded one of his swords and ducked under the incoming blade. Using the now free hand, he grabbed Sasuke's blade wielding arm and twisted as he moved behind the noble. With his second blade, the pirate used the bud of the handle to make a quick and precise jab to the back of his neck.

The Uchiha took in a sharp breath and almost immediately passed out, body falling limply to the floor.

A tiny gasp and a frightened "S-Sasuke-san!" brought the pirate's attention to the now cowering young lady. Widen, pale doe eyes looked from the noble to the pirate and her already pale skin ashened. "D-d-d-did you… D-d-did you…?" she swallowed, not being able to complete her stammering.

"Kill him?" the stranger finished for her and shook his head. "No. Despite my comment, I don't kill if I can help it," he explained with a casual sigh. "He's fine. Just sleeping."

The young lady seemed visibly relieved at this, but she kept her attention on the dangerous party before her.

The pirate kicked at Sasuke's sword, examining it, before picking it up. Seeming to want to keep it, he removed the sheath from the Uchiha's belt and slid it inside before attaching it at his own waist. Then he stared at the noble himself, seeming to debate something, and then picked the young man up, slinging him over his shoulder.

"W-what are you d-doing…?!" the pale-eyed lady questioned, fists clenching in the folds of her dress.

The stranger merely smiled at her—or at least the crinkling of his eyes made it seem like he was smiling, "I figured you could use the company."

"W-w-wha—"

"Shhh," he cut her off, tugging her to her feet. "I'm sorry, but we might need you as insurance."

* * *

**A/N:** Bum, Bum, Buuuuum. Good right? Well, I'm proud of it.

Honestly, I should stop with the new stories until I finished my older ones… but I'm always afraid I'll lose my ideas if I wait too long. Le sigh.

Aw, well.

Please don't be afraid to review and tell me how you liked it! I can take criticism pretty well, so I don't mind those either!


	2. Chapter Two - You Must Be Starving

**It's Not the Sea that Divides Us**

**Chapter Two** – _You Must Be Starving_

"Geeze… Just when things were getting good…" Kiba Inuzuka sulked a little under his breath as he tied off the rest of the ship's crew a little longer than necessary, conscious or not. It was tedious work, but it was orders. A few of the sailors shot him dirty looks, but he just smirked.

Oh, what he wouldn't give to sock a few of them in the face. He'd been nicked him in the arm pretty good and he wouldn't have minded returning the favor, but he knew better. They had surrendered and he wasn't allowed to touch them after that. It was against both his morals and that of the crew he sailed with.

It was part of the reason he followed with them. Well... that and the man who'd claimed himself as Capitan only a year ago. Naruto Uzumaki, the most knuckleheaded pirate he'd ever met, but as much of a goof as he may have been, he was probably twice as much of a man as any sailor, palace guard, or pirate that Kiba had ever met.

This was something he wholeheartedly believed, even though they'd butted heads the first time they'd met (and on a few occasions afterwards), and if one were to pay attention to the way the blond fought then it would have been obvious as to why.

The young man displayed so much passion and spirit that it was easy to get lost in watching his battles and his fight with Captian Hatake had been not different, perhaps even more impressive than usual—as the Uzumaki tended to get excited when fighting an opponent with the kind of reputation that Hatake possessed.

Flashes of orange and blue had collided in spectacular speed, a space clearing around them as they fought and though the men around didn't cease to engage in battle no one could help but to sneak peaks at the two of them.

It was an impressive display of swordsmanship. While Hatake had some of an advantage with his experience, the Uzumaki hadn't been too far behind with his energy and fresh mind.

What the outcome would have been still hadn't been made clear when the Uzumaki Captain's first mate showed up with the two people the sailors had been escorting. Hatake had surrendered immediately and the battle had ended before it had ever really begun.

"Finished over there, Inuzuka?" a shout questioned, removing the pirate from his thoughts.

"Aye, Cap'n!" Kiba shouted back and turned his attention to the rest of his crewmates who were beginning to carry supplies up from the hull. He decided to do the same.

xXx

"Do we really need to take them?" Naruto frowned eying the frightened royal in front of him and the passed out noble slung over his first mate's shoulder.

"Yes," the scarfed figure answered curtly, green eyes giving the captain a pointed look. "Did you not see all the royal guards littering the place?"

"Eh?" He frowned, as if this information was new to him. Staring down toward the main deck, he found quite a few of the men to have the royal family's insignia. Chuckling, he scratched his head, "Well, would you look at that…" Glancing back, his expression then turned to one of confusion. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Green eyes glared in annoyance, "Naruto, what would palace guards be doing outside of the palace? And so many at that."

"How should I know? …Taking a vacation?"

"In their uniforms?"

"Uhhhh…." He wasn't following, but he knew that she was trying to get at something.

The scarfed figure sighed harshly, "Look at her clothes. She's obviously from the palace..."

"Uh-huh, I can see that."

"And her wellbeing is obviously important to the men on board for them to have so easily surrendered..."

"…Right…"

"Think," the First Mate expressed, "She's important enough for them to surrender almost instantly, her dress alone could probably by the whole crew an amazing dinner,—even with your appetite—and she's being escorted by not only sailors but a large group palace guards and a really hot-headed noble… _Why?_"

"…"

"…"

"She's the princess, Cap'n," came the nonchalant voice of his Quartermaster and Navigator, Shikamaru Nara, as he ascended the steps from the main deck.

"Seriously?!" Naruto exclaimed, stepping back a bit in surprise. Rounding on the raven haired maiden he leaned closer invading her personal space, "Wah. No way!"

The princess' face grew a bright red and she began stammering, "P-Please, I-I-I—" Her emotions overloaded her functioning and she fell faint, slumping back into the scarfed figure's free arm.

The blond captain frowned, turning to his two crew members, "What did I say?"

Neither seemed to feel like answering him and instead the First Mate had Shikamaru carry the girl to the ship, green eyes staying trained on their Captain. "Do you realize what this means?"

Captain Uzumaki's eyes held an unidentifiable spark, his lips pressing into a thin line as he nodded. "Yeah…"Turning away to face the sea. "It looks like things will progress quicker than we originally thought…"

xXx

Hinata let out a light hum and buried her face deeper into the comfort of the cotton sheets, which happened to smell strangely of sea and noodles. Strange, because she did not recall any inch of her quarters ever smelling of noodles and now that she thought about it her sheets had always been that of silk… never cotton.

For a moment she played with the possibility that someone had changed her sheets for a cleaning, but ruled it out as they'd only been sailing for a few days.

Choosing not to dwell on something as unimportant as the smell of her sheets, the princess shifted under the covers and prepared to sleep for a few minutes longer. She was still very tired and she was sure that no one would mind.

However, once her mind cleared for her short nap Hinata became aware of the hushed voices coming from a corner of the room and this startled her, for no one ever entered her quarters before knocking. Had she forgotten to lock the door?

Opening her eyes, she blinked delicately, letting them adjust to the sunlight before searching for the source of the voices. She half expected it to be Sasuke speaking to one of the royal guards around their shifts as he often saw fit to do early in the morning, but who she saw was not her noble escort or anyone else she knew.

Hunching over a wooden table stood two figures, both seeming vaguely familiar to her. In surprise, she shot up into a seated position and scooted away until her back pressed against a wall the bed happened to rest up against. Squeaking in the process, she pulled the cotton sheets up to cover half her face.

Both figures turned to her and focusing on their green and blue eyes, she suddenly remembered the events from before and her face paled under their gaze.

_Pirates_.

She was in the company of Pirates.

"Morning!" the blond in the orange vest grinned. "You're quite the sleeper, you know?" He chuckled, "Everyone was sure you'd wake up in the middle of the night, but nope you slept all through it!"

"All… A-All through the n-n-night…?" Hinata's eyebrows furrowed as her gaze wandered the room.

This wasn't her quarters.

"Yep." He nodded.

Her grip tightened around the cotton sheets, "Where h-have you… t-taken me…?"

"You're in the Captain's Quarters on board the _Yellow Flash_," the other pirate answered, catching the princess' attention.

The crimson scarf around her neck suggested she was the person who'd taken down her noble escort, but it couldn't have been. This was a woman, not much taller than herself, and who had long impossibly hard to forget pink hair. But those eyes made her sure that it was the same person and she remembered the tone of voice, though it was no longer muffled by the scarf.

The pinkette's expression stayed even, though she seemed to guess the princess' thoughts as she raised a hand to absently run it through her strangely colored locks. "We figured a princess would be used to sleeping in a bed and not tied up to the mast like a prisoner. You should be grateful," she prompted, looking directly into the maiden's pale eyes.

The blond sighed, roughly patting the woman's shoulder. "Geeze… relax, Sakura-chan. You act like it's your bed she's sleeping in."

The female pirate grabbed his hand with a little more aggression than necessary, "That may be so, but I am the one loosing sleep because of someone's tendency to snore, roll around, and talk in their sleep all at once," she explained, her hand tightening around his own as the vein in her forehead grew more pronounced.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Sakura-chan, that hurts!" the Captain complained, wrenching his hand away with great effort.

_Are these really the people who bested both my father's guards and the infamous Captain Hatake? _She found herself wondering this as she stared dumbly at the banter between the two. They were very un-pirate-like… in both appearance and in personality.

"Anyway," 'Sakura-chan' tisked, adjusting her glove. "I'll be excusing myself now. Someone has got to make sure things are being done around here and I'm sure Shikamaru hasn't even gotten up yet…" She said, giving the male a look and tilted her head toward the princess' direction. "I assume you have got things covered here?"

"Yeah, no problem!" he grinned in what he seemed to think was a reassuring way and gave her a thumbs up.

Satisfied with the answer, the Pirate woman nodded and then left.

xXx

Sasuke Uchiha woke up drenched and gasping, eyes barely focusing on a smug brunette with strange red markings on his face and a now empty bucket in his hands.

"Rise and shine," the pirate nearly sang, flashing a grin that showed off his sharp canines.

The noble glared and lunged forward, only to be restricted by a rope binding him to the ship's mast. "Che," he grunted and took in his surroundings. This wasn't the _S.S. Shiroi Kiba. _"Where am I?"

The brunette nearly snickered, "You've been given a first class ticket on to the legendary _Yellow Flash_. Aren't you a lucky one, Rich Boy?"

The Uchiha's face hardened. He didn't like the idea of being on a Pirate Ship, whether it was famous or not. "And why have you taken me captive? If it is money that you're after I can assure you that you won't receive any. It is forbidden to give anything to Pirates, even if it is to negotiate for a life."

"That so?" the pirate commented casually, the piece of information obviously not new to him, but he pretended to ponder it all the same. "Though… I wonder if the King would feel so strongly about that law when that life is his daughter's…"

Sasuke instantly sneered, "Hinata-sama is on board this vessel?" What had happened while he was out? How did these pirate scum get passed both the royal guards and a boat full of the best sailors Konoha had to offer? "What have you done with her?" He'd promised her cousin that he'd keep her safe… had he failed?

The male in front of him instantly snorted, clutching his sides as he laughed in an almost uncontrolled manner. "Chill, Rich Boy! You thought I was serious?" Wiping a tear from his eye he leaned forward so that they were eye level. "It just so happens that this isn't that type of crew. She's safe."

The Uchiha leaned back, almost showing his confusion. "If she's not here for ransom, then why is she being held?"

"Inuzuka," a voice interrupted from behind Sasuke, just as the brunette opened his mouth to answer the question. "I hope you're not saying anything unnecessary."

"'Course not," the pirate grinned, backing away a little as a woman with long pink hair came up beside him. "Just making conversation… wouldn't want our guest getting lonely out here."

"Well," she started, glancing toward the tied up man, "since you'd rather do that then you're usual chore, I'm putting you in charge of him."

Inuzuka frowned at this, but nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

"So," she stated expectantly, focusing her gaze on the brunette.

"…So…?" he questioned, unsure of what she expected of him.

"I'm sure it's been hours since this man has last eaten, wouldn't it be good to fetch him something?"

"Oh righ—"

"I'm not hungry so don't bother," Sasuke cut in, staring down the woman in front of him. She seemed to hold some authority from the way the male spoke to her and the glances the other crewmembers around them seemed to work a little harder in her presence. He found this strange, she was a woman after all and he'd never heard of a woman pirate.

"He'll eat it," she insisted, still not speaking directly to the noble, "it's rare for a privileged man to skip a meal, but he's already skipped last night's dinner. I must have hit him harder than I thought."

The Uchiha almost had the urge to ask what the woman was talking about, but her amused green eyes brought him back to the fight he'd had with the male pirate in the princess' quarters. "You…" Of course with a scarf like that he should have noticed the similarities sooner, but the thought of a woman having bested him had his mind reeling.

"Me," she confirmed, smiling with fake politeness as she turned back to the brunette beside her. "You're still here?"

"I was just going," Inuzuka assured, turning on his heel.

"Have someone take something to the Captain's Quarters while you're at it, I'm sure Ojou-sama is hungry too."

"Aye," the pirate answered over his shoulder as he headed toward the galley.

Sasuke paid no attention to the male, his eyes still trained on the pirate woman. "Impossible."

"Oh?" the pinkette's smile faltered slightly, turning into one a little more hostile. "How so…?"

He bristled at the thought. "A woman—"

She cut him off, eyes narrowing. "So because I'm a woman—"

"Of course—" Before he could finish speaking over her, he was cut off not by words this time, but by the woman's fist, which splintered the wood of the mast inches from his face.

She glared in irritation. "Don't make me regret not giving you a more serious wound," she warned and, straightening herself, left him to his thoughts.

xXx

Straddling a chair, the Pirate Captain stared curiously at the pale eyed princess before him. He did is best to try and come off as friendly and inviting but she still seemed scared out of her mind. He wasn't really sure what would put her at ease. He didn't really much practice speaking with women, well, delicate women. Any female he'd ever spoke with seemed to have hostile tendencies, but this one looked utterly scared of him. He was truly at a loss.

Exhaling, the Uzumaki offered the woman a slightly awkward smile and scratching the back of his head. "Sorry about my First Mate," he apologized, nodding in the direction Sakura had left just moments before. "She can be a bit bossy and violent sometimes, but she means well…" Seeing that she didn't seem to know how to respond to that, he continued, "Also, sorry for the whole taking you against your will thing. It's kind of important…" He tried to explain, hand moving to rub the back of his neck as he glanced off. "I kind of need you."

From the corner of his eye he could see her shocked expression. "N-Need… me..?"

Turning fully toward her he nodded with excited urgency, "Someone who I trust very well told me so," he pressed, blue eyes shining, "but don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen to you… and as soon as we're finished with what we need to do I'll bring you back home. Safe and sound…." He leaned forward slightly. "I know I'm not giving you much of a choice… but you have my word, 'ttebayo."

A silence fell over them then as ocean blue looked into pale pearl. The princess face heated up a light pink and for a moment the Captain feared she'd caught a cold, but the color disappeared as soon as a strong knock rapped against his door. Standing up, he answered it to find breakfast for the princess and himself. Her grinned at the young cabin boy who presented him with the food, "Thanks, Konohamaru."

Patting the young teen's head, who grunted with a hidden smile, he took the tray of food and closed the door behind him. "You're probably starving right?" Setting the food down on the table, Naruto brought it up to the bed so that the princess wouldn't have to get up and moved his chair so that he sat across from her. "It's not much, just some stale biscuits and salted meat, but it's not as bad as you'd think," he assured with a grin and motioned for her to come forward and eat before he dug in himself.

Eventually she did, but with reluctant silence.

* * *

Happy New Year! (and a belated merry Christmas).

I know some of you have been waiting for this for a bit, but here it is!

I really appreciate all the reviews, they're sweet and they motivate me so please do keep them coming!

Also, I appreciate my silent readers too!

All of you rock.


	3. Chapter Three - Bastard

**It's Not the Sea that Divides Us**

**Chapter Three** – _Bastard_

The food was definitely not something Hinata was used to. The bread was dry and tasteless, and the meat was almost too tough to chew. Cringing, she swallowed with difficulty as she made an effort to fill her empty belly. Squeezing her eyes shut, she coughed. A few days out at sea wasn't enough to get used to what sailors—and pirates—had to eat for most of their lives. She wondered how they could take it.

The blond male across from her let out an understanding chuckle and pushed a cup closer to her with his finger. "You'll get used to it. Have some water, it helps a bit."

Thankfully, she took the cup and drank from it with slight haste. The water was flat and stale, but it was enough to quench her thirst.

"So what's your name?" the captain questioned between greedy bites of his biscuit.

Setting down her cup, the young lady stared at him in surprise. How could he know who she was, but not know her name? Perplexed, she examined him. Was he not familiar with Konoha? Anyone who was would have known the princess' name.

Realizing she probably looked foolish staring at him, she dropped her eyes to her plate and pressed her index fingers together. "Hinata Hyuga," she told him softly, a slight flush flowing to her cheeks in mild embarrassment. She never had to introduce herself before. It was a strange sensation.—refreshing almost.

"Hinata-chan," he repeated with a familiarity that startled her. Even her own sister used "san" when addressing her. The way he said it made her face burn a deeper red and she began to feel a bit faint.

The pirate did not seem to notice her discomfort and continued the conversation, "I'm Captain Naruto Uzumaki, but you can just call me Naruto." he explained with a grin, and took another bite of his food.

Looking up, Hinata stared quizzically at him as he scarfed down his meal. This man was far from what she had initially thought pirates were like. She had been taught that pirates were scary, unclean and malicious people. He was bubbly and nice and the clothes he wore were loud, attention seeking. In her mind she had pictured them as dark people… but she could only see this man being surrounded by light.

The only thing that seemed about right was the lack of table manners. The way he gorged himself with food was borderline savage. He was finished with his plate in minutes.

"Are you going to eat that?" Naruto questioned, pointing to her barely salted meat.

A bit taken back, she shook her head. "No, you can have it." He gratefully took the meat with a boyish grin that reminded her of a child on Christmas morning. It was amusing to see someone so excited over food and her lips twitched, wanting to smile, but she held it back and tried to occupy herself by nibbling on what was left of her biscuit.

How strange it was, she thought, to feel so relaxed around her kidnapper. She'd heard the stories of women who'd been taken by pirates. How they were treated terribly, sometimes raped or even sold off for a profit. So far her experience had been nothing like that; granted it hadn't been that long ago she'd woken up.

She knew that it wasn't good to follow roomers, but she didn't know people could be so off in their assumptions… These pirates may not have seemed normal, but they sure didn't _look_ ruthless.

Though there was still the question of her captivity. She hadn't been told much about it, but she wasn't sure she could bring herself to ask for more information. What if she wasn't supposed to know and pried too far? Would he get mad and show his true colors?—That is… if he had any to show? After all, he'd seemed sincere so far. Was it an act?

Swallowing the last of her bread, she twiddled her thumbs nervously. "Ano…"

"Hm?" the pirate captain questioned, pausing his chewing. "Did you say something?" He leaned forward, food threatening to spray from his mouth as he spoke.

She cringed a little at the sight of pre-chewed meat. "You… s-said that you n-needed me. W-what did you m-mean?"

Blinking he swallowed and gave her a small smile, left hand going to scratch the back of his head.

"Uh… Well, it's kind of complicated. I don't quite get it all myself…" He shifted, crossing his arms. "You're sort of part of a prophecy…"

Hinata's eyebrows furrowed, "…prophecy?"

He nodded, "My prophecy."

xXx

Kiba grinned deviously, a plate full of food in one hand and a semi-clean fork in the other. "Sah 'Ahhhh'…" he ordered, demonstrating the action with his own mouth. The glare he received in return only made his amusement grow. "What? You plan on starving?"

"I've already told you. I'm not hungry, Pirate." the noble sneered, obviously still edgy from his 'chat' with the captain's first mate.

Eyeing the splintered wood near the captive's head, Kiba chuckled. "She's something else, huh?"

The Uchiha stared at him as if he had three heads, "What?"

The brunette snorted and nudged his head in the direction of the pinkette barking orders on the other side of the ship. "Not sure what you said to her, but she almost took off your head, right?"

He didn't answer, but glowered in annoyance and irritation.

"You're lucky she didn't actually hit you… that pretty boy face of yours would end up in a crumpled up mess. You should watch what you say around her… and the Cap'n" Kiba snickered, finding the mental image amusing.

"Shut up," the captive dismissed, eyes closing.

Throwing the fork down onto the plate, Kiba held up his now free hand. "Alright. Anyway, don't start complaining when your stomach starts devouring itself because you won't eat anything," he warned as he got up to leave.

"Che. Whatever."

xXx

Naruto let out a long, satisfied exhale and rubbed his full belly with the palm of his hand. Just what he expected of Konoha Naval food. It wasn't gourmet or anything, far from it actually but it was a better quality than what his crew usually ate. "Ah. I feel much better now," he expressed, stretching his arms above his head. "I hope it wasn't too far from what you're used to, Hinata-chan."

His guest wringed her hands together. "I-It was… d-different… but tolerable," she admitted, trying to put it delicately.

The blond chuckled, wondering if she'd even be able to tolerate their usual stock of food. "I can bet," he commented and began to set the dishes back onto the tray.

Letting out a light hum, he took a moment to discreetly look over the princess. He was pleased to see that she had calmed down quite a bit, which told him he was doing something right. She had been so tense and frightened that it had put him off guard, it was tricky dealing with delicate types. He never had much practice in it.

Pushing the tray off to the side, Naruto flexed his fingers before locking them behind his head. Now that they were done eating he supposed it was time to tell her a little more about her situation. Since she was being so cooperative it was probably the least he should do. So, leaning back in his chair, the captain smiled. "You are probably wondering where we are headed, right?"

"…A-Among other t-things…"

He nodded thoughtfully, "Well… right now, we are on our way to the port of Tanzaku where we are going to meet a friend at mine.—The one I mentioned before," Naruto explained, pausing a moment to rock on the back legs of his chair. "There is information I need from her regarding the prophecy and once I compete her instructions I'll take you home."

The blond knew it wasn't fair to not give her a choice in the matter, but if there was any other way to do things he would.

.

.

.

"_What's wrong with you guys today?" a small boy questioned, sky blue eyes shifting back and forth between his group of friends, as he held the spot on his chest were they'd shoved him._

"_We can't play with you anymore, go away before you get us in trouble." the leader of the group ordered, the gap between his teeth slurring his words._

_The little boy furrowed his brow, "What are you talking about?"_

_The littlest of the group puffed up his chest and pointed tauntingly. "We know your daddy's a pirate!"_

"_We only played with you because we felt sorry for you… no one else would play with a dirty bastard child, but hanging out with pirates is illegal!"_

"_That's not true! I'm not a bastard child!"_

"_Liar, then where is your daddy? _My_ Papa says your mama got knocked up by a stinky dirty pirate."_

"_Shut up!" the boy warned, covering his ears and clenching his teeth. They just didn't understand. No one ever understood._

"_Disgusting, stinky, dirty pirate bastard!" they taunted._

"_I said shut up!" He snapped, lunging forward to tackle the ring leader. Losing control of his temper, he clawed at the boy's face. He wasn't a bastard child. He had a Papa, pirate or not, and his mother was married to him. "Shut up, shut up! You don't know anything!"_

"_Get him off of me!" the leader desperately ordered as he shielded his face with his arms._

_Snapping out of their initial shock, the two other boys grabbed the attacker and threw him off their leader and proceeded to kick him._

_Rolling up into a ball the boy whimpered, and within minutes he tasted blood._

_._

_._

_._

"_Oh my god… Naruto, what happened to you?" his mother questioned, rising quickly from her seat to kneel next to her son and survey all the bruises inflicted on his body._

_The little boy licked his busted lip and fidgeted, eyes looking down toward the floor as they filled up with fresh tears. "They know daddy's a pirate…" he explained, hands going to cover his eyes, "but I didn't say anything this time, I swear!"_

_The red headed woman looked at him and shook her head. "No, no. Of course not, baby. I know, 'ttebane." Whatever panic she had was held down with expert practice as she embraced him, a hand softly rubbing his back. "It's alright. It's alright."_

_Fisting her hair, he tightly hugged her and rested his face into the crock of her neck. "We are going to have to move again, aren't we?"_

_There was a pause as she exhaled before nodding, "…I'm afraid so, sweetheart. It would be too dangerous to stay. You know that."_

_Letting go of her, he pushed away and shook his head, fists clenched at his side. "I'm tired of moving! It's not far! What does it matter who my daddy is when I don't even know him?" Tears began to fall freely down his cheeks and his face grew red with anger. "He should be here with you and me!"_

_._

_._

_._

Pushing the memory aside, the pirate captain leaned forward and smiled at the princess. "Would you like a tour of my ship? It would be kind of boring if I made you sit in here all day."

"Oh… Y-You don't h-have to t-trouble yourself—"

"Ha! Nonsense. Come on." Cutting her off, he stood up from his chair and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her out of the cabin before she had time to collect herself.

xXx

"How long, Nara?" Sakura Haruno questioned from on top of a barrel, green eyes focused on a handsomely crafted sword as she polished it.

"A day, if all goes well," Shikamaru reported, squatting against the side of the ship with a cigarette between his teeth.

"…Good," she exhaled, shoulders relaxing. As much as she loved the sea, the prospect of land was welcomed by her. They'd been out on the water of six months gathering information, only going on land long enough for a good drink and to hear the latest gossip on certain things happening on the seas.

The faster they reached their destination, the faster they could send the princess and her noble home. Konoha would surely be out for blood.

"We'll need three days to fully restock the galley… think that's enough time to talk to her?" the navigator questioned, huffing smoke into the air as he got up to leave and compete his duty as quartermaster.

"Depends. She's hard to find… It shouldn't be a problem though."

xXx

Hinata could feel her face heating up the moment the blond wrapped his hand around her wrist. Before she could properly answer his offer he had already seized her, dragging her out of his quarters.

As they exited, the morning sun showed no mercy to her eyes and she squinted as they adjusted, almost running into Naruto as he stopped abruptly and gestured to the area around him.

"This is the main deck, where all the magic happens," he grinned, chuckling. "If you ever need something you'll either find me either here, up there, or in the galley."

Nodding meekly, she took a look around at the commotion his crew members made as they went on with their orders. The atmosphere seemed different from how things were on the _S.S. Shiroi Kiba_. The pirates seemed wilder and less restricted when compared to the navy men. There were no uniforms and when they greeted their captain it was much less formal that it should have been.

One of the crew members in particular caught her eye as he sped over to them in a tight fitting bright green shirt, an orange sash around his waist.

"Cap'n!" He greeted, dark eyes sparkling as he saluted the blond. "You're looking as youthful as always."

"Lee!" Naruto greeted back, clamping his free hand down on the strange crewman's shoulder. "Anything interesting happen yet?"

He scratched the top of his head, "Well, Haruno-san almost punched the noble's lights out…"

The pirate captain frowned, "She didn't, did she?"

"Of course not," Lee shook his head. "I said almost. Though, she did do a little damage to the mast…"

Naruto relaxed as he let out a sigh, "Well, where they now?"

"Forecastle deck." He answered, pointing in said direction, "Haruno-san was with Nara-san, and the noble is there too, tied to the foremast. Kiba-kun is watching over him."

"Ok," the blond nodded, giving the strange man another pat on the shoulder, "Well, get back to work! There's lot's to do."

"Of course, Cap'n," he saluted with a grin before turning to Hinata to bow and give a parting, "Princess."

Bowing her head, she watched as Lee left before turning a confused expression toward Naruto. "Noble?"

The pirate captain scratched the back of his head. "Ah. Your friend," he shook his head, "No, that's not right… bodyguard?"

"My escort?" Hinata frowned. She couldn't see was the benefit was in taking the Uchiha when they already had her. She hoped he was fine.

"Yeah," he nodded, "the black haired fellow. Not entirely sure why Sakura-chan brought him…" he trailed off, mirroring her thoughts, and seeing her worried expression he gave her hand a squeeze, "I'll take you to him, yeah?"

He pulled her forward without waiting for her to reply and headed up to the forecastle deck. The curious eyes of the crew landed on her as they passed, and Hinata had to do her best to stop herself from shrinking behind the captain out of shyness.

xXx

Sasuke did his best to ignore the silent complaint of his stomach as it ordered him to eat. As much as it didn't make much since that someone would poison his food when they'd gone through the trouble of kidnapping him, he didn't trust anything that was made by pirates.

Dark eyes gazed down at the bread roll left on his lap. _"Well here, I'll leave this here just in case you change your mind."_ The ridiculous brunette pirate had told him in parting. A stupid decision on his part. Even if Sasuke had wanted to eat the roll, the fact that his hands were tied behind him made getting to it impossible.

His stomach complained again and he found himself glaring at the roll as if it were the reason for his predicament. But that was silly, he realized, and from under his bangs he glared up at the real reason. The pink haired wretch sat on top of a barrel with annoying casualty, green eyes trained on a familiar looking sword as she polished it with rough precision.

A moment later and he realized why the sword looked so familiar. It was his own.

Scowling, the noble felt a growl forming at the back of his throat. "What are you doing with that?"

Glancing up, the woman cast him a look of feigned innocence, "What am I doing with what?"

"That sword," he grunted, "it's mine."

Pausing in her polishing, she looked at the weapon and then back to him. "You don't expect me to just hand this back to you… do you?"

Sasuke clicked his tongue at this. Of course he didn't expect her to… she'd be stupid to do so. However, that sword wasn't just a sword to him. It didn't belong in the hands of a pirate.

Clenching his jaw, he closed his eyes. "No," he told her, doing his best to calm himself, "then I wouldn't have the pleasure of stealing it back."

"Oh?" he heard her chuckle, "Well good luck with that."

"I don't need luck."

A silence rested in between them as the rest of the crew continued to work. The position of the sun told him they were sailing southeastward, but he'd need to know exactly where they were being taken. If he figured that out he'd be one step closer to finding a way to get the princess and himself out of their unfortunate situation.

"Sakura-chan! I heard you've been busy," a loud, boisterous voice chimed obnoxiously.

_Sakura…?_

Opening his eyes, Sasuke watched as a blond male in bright attire strolled up the steps toward the pirate woman, a timid and flushed Hinata in tow with her wrist in his grip. Eventually his dark eyes locked with wide, pale ones and she mouthed his name as if she hadn't quite expected to find him as he was.

The pinkette scoffed, "Running _your_ ship, _Cap'n_."

The Uchiha frowned, his attention turning to the goofy looking man who looked around his age with only slight interest. How did someone like that become captain of a ship? The standards for pirate captains must have been pretty low… not that it was a surprise.

The 'Captain' grinned sheepishly at the woman and scratched the back of his head. Looking around, his blue eyes landed on the noble and his eyebrows furrowed as he turned back to her. "Why is he tied up like that?"

'Sakura' rolled her eyes. "I don't want him trying anything."

"You don't need to completely restrict him… That can't be very comfortable…" The man countered with a tone akin to concern and turned to Sasuke. "Is it?"

The noble snorted at the display of hospitality. 'Trust me' was practically written all over the pirate's face. "How stupid," he criticized.

"What?" the captain questioned instantly, taken back by the comment. It was obvious that he hadn't been expecting as insult. The title of captain had probably swelled his head.

"S-Sasuke-san…" Hinata warned from the sidelines, but he didn't listen.

Seeing a pirate acting as if nothing was wrong made him sick. This captain was a kidnapper and a lowlife. Why should he make this an easy experience for someone like this? "What does it matter how comfortable I am?"

He huffed. "You are a guest on my ship. The least I can do is—"

"A guest?" Sasuke smirked bitterly and shifted his eyes toward the princess. This was probably the same load of bull that he presented to her. Hinata was timid and easily impressionable. It wouldn't be surprising if she had already been brainwashed to believe this man was a good person. He, however, knew that there was no such thing as a good pirate. It was something you learned that hard way. "I wouldn't fall for his fake hospitality, Ojou-sama… No matter what he's still just a filthy pirate bastard."

"…What did you just say?" the blond questioned with a dangerously calm tone, his expression turning strangely serious as he dropped Hinata's wrist and walked up to the Uchiha. His whole demeanor seemed to change, perhaps even darken.

"You heard me."

Sakura took a step forward, eyebrows knitting together, "Naruto…" she called carefully, almost as if afraid she'd trigger something. However, her voice fell on death ears.

Grabbing Sasuke's collar, the captain squatted down to his level. "Try saying it again. I don't think I heard you correctly."

Not being one to back down, the noble intensified his glare, "I said: Filthy Pirate Bastar—"

Before he could finish, the blond made a fist with his free hand and swung at him. Caught off guard, he blinked as flesh connected with flesh, but none of which were his own.

An inch from the noble's face, the man's fist was caught in Sakura's hand.

"That's _enough_," she stressed and pulled him to his feet. "Take the princess and head back down to the main deck. They could use your supervision."

Naruto looked as if he wanted to argue with the order, but one glare from her convinced him to do otherwise. Complying, he headed back down with begrudging silence, the princess hesitantly following behind him.

Exhaling, the woman turned to look at Sasuke with a forced calm expression. "I'll give you a few words of advice pertaining to the Captain." She knelt down in front of him, picked up the roll on his leg, and shoved it between his lips. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all."

* * *

Late. I know, but hope you liked it ~


	4. Chapter Four - First Stop, Tanzaku

**It's Not the Sea that Divides Us**

**Chapter Four** – _First Stop, Tanzaku_

Fixing the folds of his Sherwani, aquamarine eyes watched with disinterest as the doors of the throne room opened. It was the day he was to meet the woman he would marry for the first time in his life, but it was not something he looked forward to. It was an arrangement that his father had set up before his untimely death and breaking it would be destroying the treaty formed by his kingdom and the kingdom of his wife-soon-to-be.

As vexing as it was, it needed to be done. The two kingdoms both had economies that depended on one another and any damage to that could not be tolerated. A broken treaty would no doubt mean war, and as king he refused to put the lives of his subjects at risk just because he didn't want to do something as simple marry a woman. He could not put his selfishness over the good the kingdom.

He reminded himself of this as his servants brought in two men barring the uniform of Konoha Navy officers, but to his surprise they came alone, with no princess in sight.

"My King, this is Captain Kakashi Hatake and his Lieutenant, Yamato. They have come with urgent news," one of escorts announced, stepping aside. Noticing the words as an introduction, the sailors came forward and knelt to show their respect.

Motioning the men to stand, the king sat forward with a frown. "What has happened? Where is the princess?"

"King Gaara, I'm afraid that Ojou-sama was captured by pirates…" explained the man with the eye patch, who was assumed to be the captain.

"How?"

"The Yellow Flash raided us and took both Ojou-sama and her escort," the lieutenant cut in with slight shame.

Nodding as he took in the information, the king furrowed his brows. "Why have you come here instead of telling your king?" Usually problems within a kingdom were not broadcasted if it could be helped. If they had gone back to their king first there would be no doubt the excuse for the princess' absence would be covered up as a delay due to illness or the like.

"We did not have enough supplies to turn around. The pirates left us just enough to get to your shore."

He supposed that made sense, but at the same time it was strange. Why leave anything left in a raid? Resting his chin on his fist, King Gaara closed his eyes in a moment of thought. His future wife was captured by a band of pirates, adding more complications to an already delicate situation. He had to handle things carefully. War wasn't something that his people needed at the moment. "Yes… I understand. We will send word to him about his daughter. Until he replies I invite you and your crew to rest here at the castle."

The captain visibly tensed. "No need. With all due respect, I would like to tell the King myself… I only wish to request for some supplies for our journey back home."

Raising a brow, it was easy to understand the reason behind the request but the idea was preposterous. The royal held up a hand. "With all due respect _to you_, Captain. Sending a message by hawk is a faster and far much safer method." His eyes soften for a moment in an attempt to ease the agitated man before him. "I want to find the princess just as much as you do. While you wait for your king's orders, I will have my own men scout our waters in search of her."

There wasn't much room for argument with the king's logic so Captain Hatake gave in, albeit a bit unwillingly. "…Yes, of course, your majesty. That would be a big help."

Feeling that the plan of action was more or less decided, King Gaara turned to the young handmaiden spacing out at his side. "Matsuri."

At the sound of her name she snapped to attention, cheeks flushed in fear she had been caught daydreaming. "Yes, my liege?"

"Please assemble the others and find some room for the Captain and his crew, they will be staying with us for a bit."

Nodding feverously to her master, she walked over to the two guests. "Please follow me."

Watching as they left the room, Gaara's eyes narrowed. He hadn't mentioned it to the Konoha officers, but the Yellow Flash was a ship that he was more that familiar with. The fact that it had gotten tangled up in the mess he already had to deal with was troubling. It meant that something big was going to happen.

Sitting back into his throne, the king rested his chin on a closed fist. "Naruto Uzumaki… What are you planning?"

xXx

"Put these on," Sakura ordered, tossing a pile of worn out clothes onto her bed.

Hinata blinked, pulling her attention from the bland-looking room to cast a confused glance in the woman's direction. "What are these for?" First, the first mate had pulled her inside the room without giving an explanation, and now she was trying to make her put on strange clothes. Hinata wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

Searching through a chest, the woman exhaled. "A disguise. We port at Tanzaku soon and you'll be coming with us. Those flashy clothes of yours will attract too much attention."

"…I see," the princess commented with slight hesitation and moved to pick up one of the articles of clothing. The material was different from what she was used to. It was rough-looking, but felt a bit softer than it looked. "Where exactly are we going?"

"To see a friend," Sakura answered with vague impatience and set a pair of boots at her feet. "Here. We look about the same size so these should fit somewhat."

"Ah. Thank you."

The pinkette nodded, "I'll be just outside if you need me."

Hinata frowned and stared at the woman nervously as she turned to go. "A-Ano…"

Sakura paused, "What?"

The princess' face turned an embarrassed pink and motioned to the back of her dress. "If… um… you don't mind… could you unzip me?"

For a moment, the pirate flashed an amused smile. "Alright."

Turning around, Hinata tensed a bit as cold fingers freed her from the tightness of her dress. Taking a more comfortable breath, she smiled.

"This must be a pain to put on everyday…" Sakura commented, going the extra step and helping her out of her silky prison. If possible, it looked like it had a lot more layers than when the princess had worn it.

"Yes," the royal admitted, "but I usually have help."

"Figured as much," the pirate shrugged and picked up the dress from the floor. "I'll put this in the chest. No one goes in my quarters when I'm not here so it should be ok."

"That is perfectly fine," Hinata told her as she began to put on the clothes she'd been given. She wasn't too worried about her dress. It was expensive, but she had many others like it at home. Besides, it was the last thing on her mind. Who had time to worry about a silly dress when there were so many questions to be answered?

So far she found out the reason she'd been kidnapped was because of a prophecy, but she had no idea what exactly this prophecy was or what part she would play in it. The pirate captain had promised to take her home safe and sound when this all was over, but she knew something like that couldn't be guaranteed. There were too many lurking variables to take into account, which of course worried her.

Whoever this trusted person was that they were trying to track down seemed to know a lot about the prophecy from the way that Naruto spoke of them. Hopefully she would be able to get more information and finally get a clue as to what she was being forced into.

Hinata just about finished changing around the time Sakura had completed her struggle to get the poofy royal gown into the chest. Fiddling with the laces on the boots, the princess found herself amazed at how comfortable she felt. The material was light and not nearly as layered as her dress which made her feel as if she had lost five pounds off her body. On the other hand the pants were strange, as she had always worn dresses, but she could see the appeal to them and it was much better than trying to move around with so much material in the way. What she probably liked the most though was the boots. They may have looked old but they were comfy and they certainly trumped wearing heels.

Oh how her father and cousin would cringe if they saw her the way she was now. Her family prided themselves on their prestige and accepted nothing less than the best. For a princess to be wearing something close to rags was unthinkable in their minds.

"That should do. Now you look like any other civilian," Sakura commented, giving the maiden a once over.

xXx

Naruto stood on the edge of the ship, taking a moment to inhale the scent of festival foods that drifted down to port from the town square. It was the best time to come to Tanzaku. It was the time of the year that they celebrated the coming of spring, which meant there would be crowds of people, which in turn meant it would be too busy to pay attention to a bunch of pirates.

As long as they didn't draw any attention things would be fine, but just in case they disguised the ship, as it was a bit infamous in its golden years.

"We'll be gone three days," he heard Sakura remind Shikamaru and Lee. "The festival is a weeklong so we should return before it ends. I expect restocking to be done by the time that we get back."

The navigator sighed while the Lee saluted with a peppy, "Yes Ma'am!"

"And make sure Kiba does his job keeping an eye on the prisoner. We don't need him starving, or worse, getting loose."

"Why can't I come?" Konohamaru sulked, crossing his arms as he listened into a conversation he wasn't invited to be a part of.

Naruto cringed, not turning around for fear of caving into the younger boy's puppy dog look. Luckily for him, Sakura was prepared to handle the situation. "We need your skills here to guard the ship and help with carrying on the supplies. What we are doing isn't nearly as exciting. Besides, we won't be gone too long."

"Fine…" the boy grumbled, more out of fear for what the woman would do if he didn't comply rather than because he was convinced.

Feeling it was the right time, Naruto clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention. "Alright, let's get going. Our trip is a few days old, I don't want to waste any more time. Who knows how long she'll stay in Tanzaku."

"Right," Sakura agreed with a nod and pulled her hood up over her head.

"Isn't it a bit hot for a hood and scarf?" Hinata questioned the pinkette as the trio began to head down the plank onto the docks. She felt a bit overheated herself with her cloak on.

"Unfortunately," the woman muttered and trekked ahead of her companions.

The princess sent Naruto a confused glance, to which he chuckled. "If you haven't noticed, the color of her hair makes her stand out. We don't want to attract any attention, remember?"

Mouthing a silent "oh" in understanding, Hinata nodded thoughtfully.

xXx

"She's not here," Sakura announced with mild annoyance as she came back from the hotel's main desk. It had been a bit tricky to get the information out of the attendant who seemed to take her job a little too seriously. It wasn't a doctor's office, it was a hotel.

"…So then we've missed her… again?" the blond huffed in slight distress, running a hand through his hair.

"No, she's checked in. She's just not in the building at the moment…" his first mate elaborated.

"Well then, let's go find her!" Naruto expressed, already heading out the hotel, both women in tow.

"Do you even know where to look?" Sakura questioned as she caught up to him, causing Naruto to pause. "You can't just go around asking for her. We're trying to keep a low profile, remember?"

"So what do you suggest we do then? You should know more than anyone, right?" He grunted, throwing his hands up in frustration. He was getting impatient.

Hinata had opted to silence for most of their adventure, as she was not familiar with Tanzaku and could offer no help in the actual search. She almost wished she could though, with the normally overly happy pirate captain looking so distraught.

"Relax," the first mate sighed, a small smirk forming on her lips. "There's really only one place that a gambler goes to scratch their itch when the town is having a festival like this."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sure you can guess who we are talking about here, ne?

Sorry I've taken so long. I graduated from High School, believe it or not, so I was dealing with all the things that come before that (i.e. prom, finals, etc).

Hope you guys liked this chapter and are looking forward to the next one!


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